Joe Bryan scored a stunner as Bristol City beat Manchester United in the EFL Cup quarter-finals and he caught the eye of Everton fans.
Corey Smith’s last-gasp winner will live in the minds of Bristol City fans for quite some time as The Robins dumped Manchester United out of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night in the most dramatic fashion.
But it was Joe Bryan’s strike early in the second half, putting Bristol City 1-0 up a few minutes before Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s drilled equaliser, that will have had Premier League scouts sitting up and taking notice.
Bryan has been one of the most impressive attacking left-backs in the second tier over the last 18 months. But the Bristol-born talent has taken his game to a whole new level this season with Lee Johnson’s high-flyers sitting third in the Championship.
The 24-year-old now has three goals in his last four games but saved the best for Jose Mourinho’s United – thumping a stunning first-time effort in off the far post from the edge of the box.
No wonder any watching Everton fans have made their feelings clear, especially with the Merseyside giants on the lookout for Leighton Baines’ long-term successor.
Aggressive, attack-minded and blessed with a wand of a left-foot, Bryan looks every inch Baines’ heir apparent. And with the January transfer window opening soon, Everton fans know exactly who they want as a belated Christmas present.
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